2014 marks 150 years of California State Parks AND 150 years of the Yosemite Grant

Did you know that 2014 commemorates not only 150 years of California State Parks and also marks the 150th anniversary of the Yosemite Grant? Very few people realize that in fact, when President Abraham Lincoln signed the Yosemite Grant in 1864, the grant set aside Yosemite Valley and Mariposa Grove of Big Trees as California’s first state park. Yes, Yosemite was a state park before it became a national park. In our recent two-part PBS program, CALIFORNIA FOREVER, the story of California State Parks spans all the way from Yosemite in 1864 to the present day. Herein lies not only the spark that ignited the ‘park idea’ and the beginnings of the American conservation movement, but also the challenges parks face now and into the future in California, challenges likely to faced by parks across the nation.

In the words of Mark Madison, Founder of the Conservation Film Festival in Washington D.C.,

“Those who do not know our conservation history are doomed to repeat the environmental mistakes of the past. CALIFORNIA FOREVER reminds us of the roots of this revolutionary conservation idea… intertwining the national park idea, the state park movement, and the evolving cultural identity of the fastest growing state in the nation. This is real 3-D, taking three different dimensions and integrating them into one richer more textured vision.”

What better way to celebrate the 150th Anniversary of California State Parks, than with CALIFORNIA FOREVER.